Dubai Chamber seminar focuses on best practices in consumer protection

As part of its efforts to raise awareness about best practices in protecting consumers within the business community, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry organised a Best Practices in Consumer Protection seminar in association with the UAE Ministry of Economy at its premises recently. 

Organised on the occasion of the 8th GCC Consumer Protection Day, the seminar shared best practices in protecting consumers in the UAE and Singapore by highlighting consumers’ issues and the measures taken by the concerned departments to safeguard the consumers’ legitimate rights and interests. 

The seminar was attended by Ms. Jehad Kazim, Director, Legal Services, Dubai Chamber, Mr. Essam Al Falassi, IT Director, UAE Ministry of Economy, Mr. Ahmed Naji AbdulGhani Ammari, Head of Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection Sector, Dubai Department of Economic Development, Prof. Ang Peng Hwa, Vice President, Consumer Association of Singapore, public and private sector representatives including business executives and legal professionals. 

In her welcome address, Ms. Kazim stated that consumer protection has received significant promotion of late due to the efforts of federal and local government organisations. Raising a consumer’s awareness can save him from purchasing wrong products while protecting himself, his family and the community at large, she said. 

Ms. Kazim added that Dubai Chamber regularly organises trainings, seminars and workshops to apprise the business community with the various trade legislations, laws and rights as part of its efforts to serve the business community which ultimately go on to boost their trade and contribute to the economic growth of Dubai. 

This particular seminar sought suitable solutions to the various counterfeiting problems experienced by the consumers which actually shakes their confidence in the products and also affects the market in the long run, said Ms. Kazim adding that raising awareness of the subject augurs well for the overall development and competitiveness of Dubai businesses. 

In his keynote address, Mr. Essam Al Falassi, IT Director, UAE Ministry of Economy, spoke of his Ministry’s efforts since last year in introducing the e-cms or the electronic commodities monitoring system which works through an electronic link system and connects ports, customs the Ministry of Economy and major retailing centres, enabling the Ministry to monitor prices of hundreds of commodities on a daily basis while countering any attempts at potential monopoly practices by negotiating with suppliers or distribution outlets. 

He also highlighted the Ministry’s high tech i-phone application system which monitors market prices as well as any unwanted price rise of commodities and allows consumers to check the prices before entering the outlets and to report the same to the Ministry through the complaints section by entering the barcode. This enables the Ministry to check the prices and take immediate action against the offending outlets, said Al Falassi. 

In his presentation on Be Right and Know Your Consumer Rights, Mr. Ahmed Naji AbdulGhani Ammari, Head of Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection Sector, Dubai Department of Economic Development, informed that since the launch of the campaign the number of consumer complaints has gone up from 392 in 2009 and 2,900 in 2010 to 6,902 in 2011. 

These figures clearly show the success of the campaign in raising awareness amongst the consumers as well as the publication and distribution of the Blue Book which covers policies regulating the relationship between the trader and the consumers, he said. 

Citing the Singapore example, Prof. Ang Peng Hwa, Vice President, Consumer Association of Singapore, shared his country’s approach to consumer protection through the fair trading act, laws against unfair trading, lemon law which is a protection against defective purchases and the case trust process which promotes good business practices. 

Dubai Chamber regularly organises trainings, seminars and workshops to apprise the business community with the various trade legislations, laws and rights as part of its efforts to serve the business community which ultimately go on to boost their trade and contribute to the economic growth of Dubai.